


Make a Face Like You Mean It (Vampires)

by transboykobrakid (Lucipoo)



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance, The Used
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Autistic Character, M/M, Trans Character, Vampires, autistic Gerard, trans guy Bert, trans guy Jepha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-01-10 02:39:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12289461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucipoo/pseuds/transboykobrakid
Summary: One night, on the way home from the library, Gerard Way gets attacked by a creature that will change his life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> can u fuxking BELIEVE im starting another series... why am i like this..... anyways..... i hope yall like vampires, trans characters, and autistic characters cause thats what ur gonna get !! suhk my dick !!! 
> 
> also i have Zero idea where im gonna go w this fic im just Into this story idea so like... i kinda had to write it lmao
> 
> anyways i hope yall enjoy !!

Gerard was walking home from the library, hunched over by the weight of books he currently was carrying in his backpack. Time had gotten away from him and next thing he knew the library was closing, leaving him to walk home in the dark.

As much as he loved fall, he did not like that it had already gotten dark at 6PM. He didn’t live very far from the library, but he still didn’t like walking for longer than ten minutes at night.

Gerard felt like someone was following him, but whenever he looked around, no one was there. He didn’t like this feeling, he just wanted to get home already. Was his house always this far away? Was the night playing tricks on him? He could’ve sworn his house was closer, that he should be there by now, but the road seemed to be endless. He felt dizzy in the darkness, his vision was blurring- his head swimming. He just wanted to get home.

Suddenly he was falling to the ground, his body freezing up and refusing to move. His eyes were still open, though, and soon he saw a figure standing over him with a wicked grin.

He just wanted to get home.

\-----

Bert Mccracken was your typical rebellious teenager, which is to say he was a normal teenager and parents just hate when their kids start actually thinking for themselves. He didn’t try to be difficult, but sometimes their standards were just a bit too high, and he’s only human. He really didn’t even purposely rebel, just his existence was enough of rebellion for his parents.

Although, he did have the added bonus of being a queer transgender kid that made his parents hate him extra, even though they didn’t even know. It was like they had a sixth sense where they could tell they hated their child, but they just didn’t know why exactly they hated him.

Often, when his parents would be really bad, he would sneak out and go to his friend Gerard’s house, where he would then spend the night listening avidly while Gerard told him a new piece of information about vampire mythology he had just found out.

Gerard was awesome like that, he was a fountain of knowledge when it came to vampires- and a few other creatures of the night. But his true passion was vampires, even if he did like other creatures too.

He had once told Bert that the reason he was so obsessive was because he was autistic, and that Bert could stop him if he ever got annoying. Bert never had to stop him, though. He loved listening to Gerard talk about his interests, loved hearing all the interesting unknown facts about vampires that Gerard would tell him.

Gerard on many occasions would try to convince Bert that he was actually a vampire himself, even going as far as making fake blood packs to prove to Bert he was really a vampire. Bert never believed him, but it was still fun to hear which ritual Gerard would pick as how he was turned.

Tonight was one of the nights that his parents were being bad, so Bert snuck out of his bedroom window and started the walk towards Gerard’s house. It was cold out, which tends to happen in November. He put the hood up on his jacket and continued walking. The world seemed eerily silent, but it was only 7, so that made no sense. People should still be awake, still out and about.

He approached Gerard’s house and quickly knocked on the door. Gerard’s parents never seemed to mind when Bert came over unannounced, probably knowing to some extent that he had family troubles. He was just thankful that they didn’t mind him coming over.

The door opened, a stream of light coming out from the hallway. Gerard’s mom was standing in the doorway, smiling softly and saying , “Hi, Bert! You here to see Gerard?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bert replied, smiling back at her.

“Well, he isn’t home yet from the library, but he should be home soon. Why don’t you come inside and wait for him?” Donna stood to the side, giving Bert enough room to walk past her and into the house.

“Thank you, I’ll just wait in his room,” Bert rubbed his hands together, not realizing how cold he had gotten until he was back indoors, in the nicely heated home.

“Sounds good! You want coffee? I think there’s a pot made.”

“Yes, thank you, that’d be nice.”

Donna disappeared into the kitchen, then came back a moment later with a mug in her hand. She handed him the mug and said, “I’ll let Gerard know that you’re down there when he gets home.”

Bert grinned, “Thank you, it’d probably be good not to startle him.”

Donna laughed and nodded in agreement, than let Bert head downstairs to Gerard’s bedroom. He was sipping his coffee as he walked, appreciating the warmth it gave him. Man, he was cold.

When he got to the bottom of the stairs and opened the door, he was not expecting to see Gerard lying motionless on his bed.

Bert almost dropped the mug, but thankfully had a tight enough grip on it that nothing spilled. He was confused as fuck, why was Gerard home? Donna had said he was still at the library, how did she not know he was here?

Bert tiptoed across the room, thinking that maybe he came in without Donna noticing and then fell asleep, so she didn’t hear him making any noise alerting his presence. That must have been it, but it still seemed weird that Donna didn’t know he was home.

Bert places the coffee mug on the nightstand and poked Gerard’s back, saying, “Gerard? You awake?”

Gerard’s eyes shot open and he immediately started kicking at Bert, telling him repeatedly to get away. Bert immediately moved away from him, not wanting to upset Gerard anymore. He had told Bert about this, how he sometimes would shut down and wouldn’t be able to handle anyone touching him without kicking them away.

Bert wanted to respect Gerard boundaries, so he just grabbed his coffee and headed back upstairs. Donna spotted him coming up the stairs and looked at him questioningly, asking, “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, uhm, Gerard’s actually home? He’s in bed but I was gonna give him some space, he seemed really out of it,” Bert explained.

“Oh no, is he okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, he probably just needs some rest.”

Donna nodded, “Alright, he did walk to and from the library, usually I drive him there but I wasn’t able to. He probably just got worn out from the walk. You still gonna stay?”

Bert shook his head, “Nah, I think I’m gonna head out. Thanks for the coffee, though.”

Donna waved as Bert left the house, calling out, “Don’t be afraid to call if you need anything!”

Bert smiled and waved back, then continued walking down the street. Even if he couldn’t stay with Gerard, he had other friends. He usually just went to Gerard since he lived closest, so it was easier to walk there.

The dark was really suffocating, especially since it seemed like half of the street lights were broken. Only one of them shone completely, the rest seemed to flicker on and off every other second. It was quite eerie, and Bert just wished that Jeph lived closer. He didn’t exactly live far, but it was still quite a bit of a walk.

The best part of staying with Jeph was he also was a trans man, so he really understood what Bert went through. He often gave Bert advice, and overall was like a weird trans older brother to Bert. He couldn’t be any luckier.

By the time Bert was walking up to Jeph’s door, he was sore and out of breath and just wanted to sleep. Something about tonight just seemed so draining, and he really hoped Jeph would be cool with him crashing on his couch again.

When he knocked on the door, it took a moment for anyone to reply and Bert was scared it had become too late. Then he remembered Jeph usually stayed up well into the night and he probably just hadn’t heard Bert knock.

Bert tried knocking more, not stopping until he heard someone approach and open the door. Jeph looked vaguely annoyed at him, his hair wet and only wearing a towel. He rolled his eyes at Bert and said, “What the fuck do you want? I was showering.”

“Can I stay here tonight?” Bert asked, but was already pushing himself past Jeph and into the small house.

“Who’s that at the door?” Dan- Jeph’s roommate- asked from the other room.

Bert peaked his head through the door and wave at Dan, grinning widely as he said, “It’s a me!”

Dan looked up from the book he was reading and replied, “Mario? Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s Mario, who’s apparently staying here tonight,” Jeph said, now standing next to Bert in the doorway.

“We’re honored to have you here, Mario,” Dan said, bowing towards Bert.

“Can I crash on your couch then? I walked here and I am not good at walking long times.”

“Yeah, go for it, although I’m pretty sure neither of us were gonna be sleeping soon so we might keep you up,” Jeph responded.

Bert shrugged, “That’s fine, I’m just really tired. G’night dudes.”

“Good night, Mario,” Dan said, waving at Bert as he left the room.

Bert walked to the living room and collapsed on the couch, finally getting some rest.

\-----

Bert woke up the next day to five missed calls and 50 texts, all from Gerard. Confused and half asleep, Bert just texted back a quick, “Dude, what?” before falling back asleep.

When he woke up again, it was to Dan repeatedly kicking him in the knee and saying, “Wake the fuck up, I’m about to leave for work and Jeph’s already gone and we don’t want you alone in our house.”

Bert groaned and sat up, swatting at Dan to make him stop. Dan stepped back from the couch and left the room, saying, “You have about ten minutes to get yourself reoriented before you’re leaving. Also, you live like east from here right?” He waited for Bert to nod before continuing, “Alright, I can give you a ride home.”

“Can you actually drop me at my friend Gerard’s house? It’s still in the same area,” Bert asked, sitting up and stretching out a little bit. As much as he liked staying at Jeph and Dan’s place, he also hated how cramped he got while sleeping on the couch. He swore it got smaller every time he stayed over, but Jeph always would say that the couch wasn’t getting smaller, Bert was just getting taller.

Dan nodded, “Yeah, I can do that. Is he the guy Jeph always says is your boyfriend or is that someone else?”

“He’s not my boyfriend, we’re just good friends.”

“Right, sure,” Dan laughed.

“I don’t have to listen to your mocking tone, old man!” Bert said, grinning as he kicked at Dan.

Dan rolled his eyes, “I’m not even that much older than you.”

“But you’re still older, so...”

“I can’t believe my generosity is bringing me this. You should just walk, see who’s the old man then.”

“Noo, I’m sorry. You are so very young! You’re practically an infant!”

Dan rolled his eyes and shoved Bert out the front door, “Just get in the car.”

\-----

After Dan had dropped him off, Bert ran up to Gerard’s house and knocked on the door. Gerard had texted him countless times to come over, that he had to tell Bert something in person, so Bert was curious what was up.

After Bert had greeted Donna and made small talk with her, he ran downstairs to talk to Gerard. When he got to his room, Gerard was sitting on his bed, leaning over his laptop and typing quickly. He didn’t seem to notice Bert, so Bert waved and said, “Yo, what’s up?” to get his attention.

Gerard looked up and grinned at Bert, saying, “I have something very important to tell you! Come here, come, come sit on the bed.”

He repeated saying this until Bert went over and sat beside Gerard, saying, “What’s up? What’s so important?”

“You tried coming over last night, right? My mom told me you did, but then left because I was really out of it?”

“Yeah, you got pretty freaked out when I went near you so I figured I should give you some space,” Bert explained, “You were having a meltdown or something right?”

“Nope!” Gerard grinned, “I was being turned into a vampire!”

Bert laughed at this, knowing Gerard was joking. They had gone through this many times, Gerard trying to make each “vampire transformation” even more dramatic than the previous one. It was an ongoing joke of theirs, and Bert was waiting to see how Gerard would convince him this time.

“I’m being serious,” Gerard said, looking disappointed that Bert was laughing at him.

“What? But- you can’t be a vampire. They’re mythological.”

Gerard crossed his arms, “Then what was it that attacked me last night?”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Bert asked, sounding surprised. None of the other times did Gerard claim to be attacked, it always had been some ritual or another.

“I mean,” Gerard said, pulling down his collar so Bert could see a large red scab on his neck, “I was attacked last night. Everything leading up to the attack was weird, too.”

Bert was staring at the injury now, stunned by how painful it looked. How was Gerard acting normally and not at the hospital? Or worse, lying dead in the street? He shouldn’t be fine, it made no sense. Bert finally made up the nerve to ask, “Weird in what way?”

“Just weird, y’know? It was like I got like... like paralyzed or something. Then I saw who did it and they looked mostly human, so no it wasn’t an animal. It was a vampire and I think I’m a vampire now, too, since I survived the attack.”

“What the fuck,” Bert said, still staring at the wound on Gerard’s neck in awe. This wasn’t fucking possible, he couldn’t actually be a vampire, right? He couldn’t be.

“I’m a vampire, Bert.”

\-----

Bert had been pacing back and forth in front of Gerard’s bed for half an hour now, mumbling about how this couldn’t be real. Gerard was getting kind of tired of it, why couldn’t Bert just accept it? Gerard already had, although he was a little scared of what he would do when he started to get blood cravings. He hadn’t yet, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before he got hungry. He knew in lots of modern stories about vampires they would only drink animal blood, or somehow get blood from blood banks. He wasn’t sure how he would steal blood from a blood bank, though, and he also had no idea how he could hide blood in his room.

Bert finally interrupted Gerard’s thoughts after a few more minutes, saying, “You aren’t bullshitting me, right?”

“No, not bullshitting you,” Gerard replies.

“So that’s a real injury?”

“Yes, it’s real.”

“Does it hurt?”

“A little bit,” Gerard gently touched his neck, than added, “It hurt a lot more last night, which is probably why I freaked out at you. I was just in a lot of pain.”

Bert clenched his jaw, saying, “Did you see who the fucker was?”

“Do you mean who the vampire was?” When Bert nodded, Gerard continues, “No, I didn’t see them very well. I didn’t get a good look at their face, then I just blacked out and woke up in my bed. At first I thought it was a dream, until I was awake enough to feel the pain.”

“Fuck, they can’t just get away with this, can they?” Bert said, starting to pace again.

“I think they already did,” Gerard said, sounding confused. He didn’t get why Bert was so upset.

“But they hurt you, Gee!”

“I’m fine now!”

“That doesn’t mean they didn’t rip out your throat!”

“I don’t get why you’re so upset,” Gerard said, crossing his arms, “I didn’t die.”

“You- you could’ve died,” Bert said quietly, “You could’ve died, Gee. Hell, you could actually be dead, aren’t vampire an undead species?”

“I- I mean it depends on which story, but yeah they are usually undead,” Gerard said, starting to realize why Bert was freaking out. He was worried about Gerard, because Gerard was hurt badly and Bert was a very protective friend.

Bert sighed and sat back on the bed next to Gerard. He lied down so his head was in Gerard’s lap and said, “What are we gonna do when you start craving blood?”

“I- I don’t know,” Gerard admitted, “I was gonna try the drinking animal blood thing first, just to see if it would actually work.”

“I hope it does.”

“Yeah.”

“If it doesn’t you could-” Bert started, then stopped himself, biting his lip nervously.

“I could what?” Gerard asked, starting to pet Bert’s hair.

“You could always drink my blood.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bert seemed to notice the shift in Gerard’s stance, since now he seemed more on guard, asking, “Uhm, Gerard? You okay?”
> 
> Gerard walked up close to Bert and pressed close, his face buried in Bert’s neck, and just smelled him. Bert seemed to go completely still, barely even breathing. Gerard hummed and presses even closer, wanting desperately to feed on Bert. He just smelled so _good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey... new chapter yall... hope u Enjoy :~)

It had been a week since Gerard had first been turned, and thankfully he still hadn’t gotten hungry. Bert suspected that he just was still changing, that the blood lust would hit him any time soon, but Gerard tried to focus on the positive.

Maybe vampires just didn’t get hungry very often.

This theory was sadly disproven a few days later, when Gerard started feeling an intense hunger of which he had never experienced. It was like his body was on fire, every part of him was begging to feed. He almost threw up multiple times, but ended up just dry heaving over the toilet since he hadn’t eaten anything in over a week. He was in so much pain he could barely get out of bed. He just wished there was a handbook you got on what to do if you suddenly get turned into a vampire.

After a while of laying in bed and trying to get the energy to sit up, Gerard finally was able to move enough to tell Bert to come over. He also texted Mikey, although he was currently at a friends house so Gerard wasn’t sure if he would be able to come.

After he had texted Bert, Gerard just laid in bed waiting. He really was starving, no doubt about it. Maybe he had gotten hungry earlier and just hadn’t noticed, which was something that happened a lot when he was still human. It was a bummer to find out that that part of him stayed as he turned into a vampire.

When Bert got there, Gerard had gotten enough strength to actually get out of bed. He was pacing around his room, trying to distract from this intense need for blood that filled every part of his body. Bert came down the stairs, startling Gerard when he said, “Hey, man, what’s happening? You said it was an emergency?”

A new problem had risen up now that Bert had entered the room, and that problem was that Bert smelled fucking good. Like Gerard had just been served a fresh hot plate of his favorite meal while he was starving. Which, now that he thought about it, was exactly what was happening. He didn’t even feel the pain now, he just felt an urge to hunt, and Bert was his prey.

Bert seemed to notice the shift in Gerard’s stance, since now he seemed more on guard, asking, “Uhm, Gerard? You okay?”

Gerard walked up close to Bert and pressed close, his face buried in Bert’s neck, and just smelled him. Bert seemed to go completely still, barely even breathing. Gerard hummed and presses even closer, wanting desperately to feed on Bert. He just smelled so _good_.

Bert seemed to snap out of it and pushes Gerard away, saying, “Dude, seriously, what the fuck is happening?”

Gerard blinked slowly, then backed further away from Bert, realizing how close he was to feeding on his best friend. He felt disgusting, horrified that he was on the verge of hurting Bert. He shook his head repeatedly, saying, “It’s not safe.”

“What’s not safe, Gee?” Bert asked, stepping closer to Gerard again.

“Not- not safe, please,” Gerard didn’t know how to tell Bert that he wasn’t safe, that he had to leave. He just knew that Bert couldn’t be around him anymore, at least not until Gerard figured out a better way to feed.

“Do- do you want to feed on me?” Bert asked hesitantly.

Gerard shook his head, “Not safe.”

“But... but you do wanna feed on me, right?”

Gerard didn’t know how to respond, he didn’t want to hurt Bert, but god he was so hungry. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from feeding if Bert stayed here any longer.”

“That’s a yes, right? You were about to feed on me?” Gerard just nodded in response, not knowing what else to do.

“Okay, you can feed on me.”

“It’s not safe!”

Bert rolled his eyes, “You can’t just starve yourself, Gee. C’mon, come feed on me.”

Bert sat on Gerard’s bed, then pulled off his shirt and tipped his head back, giving Gerard easy access to his neck. Gerard didn’t know what to do, he wanted this so badly, wanted desperately to sate his hunger and feed on Bert.

Before Gerard knew what he was doing, he was sitting on the bed beside Bert and hovering close to his neck, not able to stop it now. He slowly leaned in, opening his mouth and biting down on Bert’s neck.

The first rush of blood in his mouth almost made Gerard want to cry. It tasted so good, and he felt himself getting stronger already. He was surprised Bert wasn’t trying to kick him off, that he wasn’t flinching or moving away at all, but Gerard was too in the zone to think about it too much. All he knew was this was fucking amazing, and he was so relieved that he could finally feed.

Suddenly, the door to his room was opening again and Gerard pulled away from Bert in a panic, just to see Mikey standing in the doorway looking shocked and grossed out.

“It’s not what you think!” Gerard yelled, but then realized he had no idea what Mikey was thinking.

“Oh god, why did you text me to come over if you were just gonna do weird kinky shit with your boyfriend?!” Mikey said, covering his eyes and looking disgusted.

“What? We’re not-”

“Mikey?” Bert groaned, sounding half asleep. Gerard then realized that Bert was probably suffering from blood loss and he started panicking.

“Oh god, Bert what did I do to you!” Gerard turned back completely towards Bert, panicking that he had severely injured his best friend. He started searching around his bed to stop any bleeding, finally finding a shirt which he then tied tightly around Bert’s neck, hoping to stop any excess bleeding.

“Uhm, seriously though, what the fuck is going on?” Mikey asked again, but Gerard was still too panicked to answer coherently.

“Blood- he lost blood, too much blood, fuck. I took too much blood, fuck fuck,” Gerard mumbled as he tried to keep Bert more awake.

“What do you mean he lost too much blood?” Mikey asked, going over to the bed and looking at Bert. A horrified look spread across his face when he saw Bert, and he backed away from the bed again, saying, “Gee, what happened to him?”

Gerard calmed himself enough to explain, “I- I fed on him and- and I took too much blood.”

“What do you mean you fed on him?” Mikey asked.

“I- I mean I fed on him. I- I drank his blood, we need to get him help, please. He can’t die.”

Bert groaned, making Gerard snap out of it and start lifting him off the bed. Mikey quickly went over to help him, going on Bert’s other side and helping him stand up, saying, “We’ll get him to the hospital, but I want you to explain everything afterwards, okay?”

Gerard just nodded as they both struggled to get Bert up the stairs.

\-----

Bert woke up feeling dizzy and lightheaded, unaware of his surroundings or ever having fallen asleep. Last he remembered, Gerard was acting strange, pushing close to him and smelling his neck. He had no idea what had happened after that, except now everything is bright and loud and he has no idea where he is- or how he got there.

“She’s waking up,” an unfamiliar voice said, followed by someone touching Bert’s arm. He wondered who “she” was, than realized the person must have been talking about him. He wanted to correct the person, but he still wasn’t sure where he was or who the person was, so he thought it’d be best not to say anything yet.

Bert started falling back asleep to the sound of more unfamiliar voices, saying things to each other that he was too tired to understand.

\-----

When Bert woke up again he still didn’t know where he was, but now was conscious enough to look around. He appeared to be in a hospital room, but he had no memory of getting there- and no memory of why he had to get there. He turned his head and saw Gerard slumped over in a chair against the wall, fast asleep and a book in his lap.

“Gerard,” Bert tried to say, but his throat was too dry so he instead started coughing. Thankfully that woke Gerard up, who than proceeded to get Bert a glass of water.

When Bert had drunk enough water, he asked, “What am I doing in a hospital? I can’t remember anything.”

Gerard, who hadn’t said anything since Bert had woken up, replied, “Uhm, officially you were attacked by an animal.”

“What do you mean ‘officially?’” Bert asked, “What’s the ‘unofficial’ reason?”

“Uhm... how much do you remember?”

“I remember you asking me to come to your house, but when I got there you were acting super weird. Next thing I know I’m waking up in a fuckin hospital room,” Bert responded.

Gerard moved back to the chair and sat down, not looking anywhere near Bert when he replied, “Uhm, I might’ve like- y’know, fed on you a little bit.”

“A little bit?”

“Okay, maybe a lot bit. I sorta- y’know, lost control for a second and- and almost took too much, hence you being in a hospital now.”

“Shit, did I just blackout from the blood loss? Is that why I don’t remember anything?”

Gerard shrugged, “I don’t know, probably. I’m- I’m really sorry, though. I thought I could control myself but I don’t think I can.”

“That’s okay,” Bert smiled, “I did tell you that you could feed on me, so it’s really not all your fault. We’ll just try to work something out next time, yeah?”

“What?” Gerard asked, sounding confused.

“What do you mean ‘what?’”

“You- you aren’t mad.”

“No? Why would I be mad?”

“Because I hospitalized you, dude! I- I thought you’d hate me!”

Bert shrugged, “I don’t know what to tell yah dude I just really don’t mind all that much.”

“Okay, if you’re sure...” Gerard said, still sounding unsure of himself.

“Hey, look on the brightside! It’s not like I actually died or anything!”

“Hey, wait,” Gerard started, “Why weren’t you turned into a vampire? I mean, I bit you and you survived, isn’t that how vampires are made?”

“Maybe you need to do something else,” Bert replied, “Like, don’t in some stories you have to like, drink the vampires blood or some shit? Maybe it’s like that.”

“Than that would mean whoever turned me did it on purpose.”

Bert shrugged, “I guess so.”

After that, some nurses came in and ushered Gerard out, leaving Bert to think more about everything that had happened.

\-----

When Bert was released from the hospital, he really was not in the mood to go home to his family. He was tired and had been misgendered so many times the past few days, he just wanted to be around accepting people. Thankfully, Jeph was home when Bert came by, so he didn’t have to stay home for too long.

Dan wasn’t home, but Bert didn’t mind. He just sat on their couch and sighed, saying, “Dude, I’m so tired.”

Jeph laid on the couch, resting his feet on Bert’s lap, and replied, “Yeah? What were you in the hospital for, no one told me.”

“Oh, uhm, animal attack,” Bert didn’t know why, he just felt like he should go with Gerard’s cover story. It’s not like Jeph would believe him even if he told the truth.

“Shit, that what the bandage is for? What type of animal was it?” Jeph asked, seeming genuinely curious.

“Uh, I don’t actually know. I kinda blacked out before seeing it,” Bert laughed, hoping that answer is good enough for Jeph.

“Did the hospital not say what type of animal it was?”

Bert shrugged, “It didn’t come up.”

That was a lie, they actually had said that it “didn’t seem like any known animal,” but that would just freak Jeph out, right? Bert didn’t know the proper etiquette around hiding the fact that your best friend is a vampire from your other friends, but he was pretty sure it involved a lot of lying.

“Huh, weird,” Jeph laughed, then patted Bert’s shoulder and added, “I’m glad you’re okay, though. It would suck if you had died.”

“Yeah, who would randomly crash on your couch every other day if I wasn’t here? You neeed mee,” Bert grinned, reaching over to poke Jeph’s face repeatedly.

“Don’t make me kick you out.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Jeph rolled his eyes and got up, saying, “I would dare, but not right now ‘cause I’m hungry and haven’t eaten all day.”

“Make me something!”

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” Jeph laughed as he walked out of the room.

After Jeph left the room, Bert got up and went into the bathroom, curious as to what his wound actually looked like. He closed the door and started slowly taking off the bandage. When it was fully off, he examined it in the mirror. It was a lot bigger than shown in most vampire movies; instead of two small dots where the fangs were, it was more like an entire bite mark- although there was also two defined marks from where the fangs went in.

Bert was too focused on the reflection in the mirror to notice the bathroom door open and Dan walk in. He only noticed when he heard something drop and Dan whisper, “What the fuck,” followed by him grabbing Bert’s arm and pulling him out of the bathroom.

“Dude, what the fuck? Let go of me!” Bert yelled, trying to wiggle free from Dan’s grasp.

Jeph came running into the living room again, saying, “What’s happening? What are you doing?”

Dan shoved Bert in Jeph’s direction, saying, “See for yourself- look at his neck.”

When Jeph saw Bert’s neck, his demeanor immediately changed and he crossed his arms, saying, “Bert, how did you actually get wounded?”

“I- I was attacked by an animal,” Bert replied, staring at the floor.

“Bert, _please_ , we need to know so we can help you.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Bert asked, moving away from the two men.

“It means we need to know who did this so we can fuckin stop them,” Dan responded, crossing his arms and glaring at Bert.

“What do you mean who? It was an anim-”

“We know it wasn’t an animal, Bert,” Jeph said, “Now please, just tell us who attacked you.”

“I- I wasn’t attacked. I was okay with it happening,” Bert replied quietly, looking back down at the floor.

“ _What_?” Jeph asked.

“I said I was okay with it!” Bert snapped, “How the fuck do you know about this stuff anyway?”

“This is- is our night time job, sorta,” Jeph replied, “We- we hunt vampires.”

“You _what_!?”

“Vampires, we hunt vampires,” Dan replied.

“I can’t believe you were fuckin- fuckin vampire hunters and you didn’t tell me!”

“Well you didn’t tell us that you’re apparently some vamps personal blood pack yet here we are!” Jeph yelled back.

“I’m not a ‘personal blood pack’ asshole, it was a one time thing. We just hadn’t figured out any other way to get him food yet.”

“Wait- is he a new vampire?” Dan asked, sounding surprised.

“Well, yeah, it happened like two weeks ago.”

“You still haven’t told us who it is,” Jeph said.

“Yeah, and I never will, cause you might _kill him_.”

“We won’t kill him,” Jeph started, but Dan made a disapproving noise, so Jeph turned to him and said, in a more stern voice, “We _won’t_ , okay? If he’s a new vamp then we could help him not be evil or kill people. The only reason we kill vamps is if they’re a threat to society, but if Bert’s vampire is new and has only ever fed on Bert, than that means we could possibly help him stay clean and _not_ kill people, get it?”

Dan sighed, but just shrugged and said, “I guess you’re right, there is no reason why we should kill him at this point. But I’m not gonna let my guard down just ‘cause he’s Bert’s friend, alright? Just ‘cause he hasn’t killed anyone yet doesn’t mean he never will.”

Jeph patted Dan’s shoulder, saying, “I know, but hopefully it won’t come to that. So, who is he anyway? We kinda need to know if we’re gonna try to help him.”

“Uhm, it’s- uh, it’s Gerard?” Bert replied quietly, not looking at Jeph or Dan.

“Wait, like your boyfriend? The one who's obsessed with vampires?” Jeph asked.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jeph just laughed at this, but Bert rolled his eyes and continues, “But yeah, the one who’s obsessed with vampires.”

“Did he like, go out of his way to become one?” Dan asked.

“What? No! Of course not! He was attacked, dude!” Bert replied.

“Hey, I had to ask!”

“Did you really though?”

Dan shrugged, “What? He’s obsessed with vampires, it wouldn’t be that surprising if he y’know, went out of his way to become one.”

“Well, he didn’t do that, but are you guys gonna help him? He kinda panicked a ton after I got hospitalized and probably would appreciate some help finding a safer way for him to feed.”

Jeph smiled slightly and replied to Bert, saying, “Yeah, we’re gonna try to help him. Although, you... you know he’s a predatory creature now, right? You need to understand that- that he won’t always be the same person that you’re friends with. If he’s in a bloodlust he could, y’know, turn on you and kill you. We’ll do our best to prevent this but... we can’t guarantee you will be safe around him. Are you okay with that? Knowing your best friend could turn on you, I mean.”

Bert nodded slowly, saying, “Yeah, yeah I understand. He already hospitalized me, right? I understand that- that he could be dangerous, but I still trust him. Just- please help him, he’s been so scared ever since he was turned, he seriously doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He even was kinda sad at the thought that he might have to kill animals.”

“We get that,” Dan said, “But it’s not exactly ‘Gerard’ all the time, he’s... different, yeah? You just have to be prepared for the worst.”

“I understand.”

Jeph smiled and pulled Bert into a hug, saying, “Get some rest, you’ve had a long day.”

Bert didn’t resist, letting Jeph lead him to the couch, quietly accepting the pillow and blankets being handed to him. When Dan and Jeph left him alone, but just stared at the ceiling attempting to process everything that had just happened.

Not only did Jeph and Dan know that vampires existed, but they were vampire _hunters_ , meaning they’ve had to _kill_ vampires before. They also now knew that Gerard was a vampire, and Bert hoped to god that they stayed true to their promise to not kill Gerard.

After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, trying to understand everything that had happened, Bert finally was able to get to sleep. Restless, stressed sleep, but sleep nonetheless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i made dan & jeph hunters... u can... Fight Me.....™
> 
> Anyways ! As usual feel free 2 leave comments + kudos and also follow me on tumblr (@bisexualbertmccracken), twitter (@Allegrcat), instagram (@artsy_vampire or @quinnmakesart), and/or snapchat (@artsy_vampire)
> 
> Anyways ! thats all have a nice day!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Y’see, this is why I could never be a vampire,” Jeph replied, “I love salad too much.”
> 
> “Yeah, I think vampirism would kinda put a damper on that whole ‘vegan’ thing,” Dan said, completely deadpan as he poked Jeph’s face.
> 
> “Thankfully, I am not a vampire and can eat whatever the fuck I want.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy i finally got around to updating hell yeah B)
> 
> hope yall enjoy this chapter !

Bert and Gerard were walking together down the street towards Jeph’s house. Gerard didn’t know, but Bert was planning on introducing him to Jeph and Dan. Well, he knew he was gonna meet them, but he had no knowledge of the whole “vampire hunter” thing.

He was extremely nervous, not sure exactly how Gerard would respond to the news; he also wasn’t entirely sure that Dan wouldn’t kill Gerard. It was terrifying, but he knew he should do it. If there was any chance that they could help Gerard cope with his new vampirism then it will be worth it.

He just hoped Gerard didn’t get upset at Bert for revealing that he was a vampire to two vampire hunters, but in his defense he didn’t know they were vampire hunters when he had befriended them; and he also didn’t plan to tell them either. He just hoped Gerard would see his side to it.

Gerard was talking excitedly about something, but Bert was having trouble focusing on what he was saying. His mind was distracted by so many things that he barely even realized that they had arrived at Jeph’s house already.

Bert lead Gerard inside, trying so hard to act casual but also so terrified. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself before yelling, “Yo, fuckers, we’re here.”

Jeph came into the room, wearing only pants and his binder, and said, “Oh, hey. You must be Gerard? I’m Jeph.”

“Uhm, hey, that’s me,” Gerard replied with a smile.

Dan walked into the room soon after, saying, “So you’re the vampire?”

“Dan! We were gonna be gradual about it, remember?” Jeph replied, slapping Dan’s arm in annoyance.

Gerard was staring wide eyed at Bert, looking hurt and confused. Bert sighed and said, “I wasn’t planning on telling them they just found out!”

“How did they find out?” Gerard asked, sounding upset.

“They saw the bite marks on my neck and- and they already knew about vampire stuff so uhm, y’know...” Bert replied.

“Wait, what do you mean they already know about this stuff?”

“He means we already know,” Jeph replied, “We uh, sorta are, uhm-“

“We’re hunters, but no we won’t kill you, so don’t worry,” Dan finished for Jeph, “We’re just gonna try to help you find a safer source of blood than Bert, so no more accidents happen. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to do any worse damage to him than hospitalization.”

Jeph moved closer to Gerard slowly, saying, “We don’t want to hurt you, we really do just want to help. I know it’s probably confusing and stressful to have to go through this, but we know a lot about this stuff and we will help you any way that we can.”

“You- what is happening?” Gerard asked, backing away from everyone.

“Please, just let them help you, Gee! They- they know how this stuff works in real life, not just in possible fictional scenarios! They’re my friends, I promise they won’t hurt you,” Bert replied, stepping closer to Gerard again.

Gerard wrapped his arms around himself, shaking his head rapidly and saying, “I don’t get it.”

“What don’t you get?” Bert asked, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing.

“ _It_! I don’t get it!”

“Do you mean that Jeph and Dan know about stuff?”

“No, no, I don’t get it.”

Bert was slowly making himself over to Gerard, saying, “Do you not get how they found out?”

“I don’t get it,” Gerard replied, shaking his head more.

“How they will help you?”

Gerard nodded, saying, “Yeah, I don’t get it.”

Bert smiled slightly, saying, “They’re gonna try to get you blood in a safe way, and help guide you through the changes. Do you get it now?”

“But how?”

“How will they get you blood?” When Gerard nodded, Bert turned back to Jeph and asked, “How _are_ you planning on doing that?”

“I think first we were gonna see if animal blood counts,” Dan replied, “After that, I’m sure we could try finding you safe ways to get human blood, so you won’t have to accidentally almost kill Bert again.”

Gerard sat down on the couch, chewing on his finger nails and looking at the ground. After he hadn’t said anything for a while, Jeph gave Bert a questioning look. Bert rolled his eyes and sat next to Gerard, saying, “Do you understand everything now?”

Gerard nodded, saying, “I think so, except one thing: why are you guys helping me? I thought you were- were hunters or something? Why don’t you wanna kill me?”

Jeph shrugged, “Well, you haven’t killed anyone, why should we kill you? There’s no reason to kill you if you, y’know, haven’t given us a reason to.”

“I hurt Bert, though,” Gerard pointed out.

“What, do you _want_ us to kill you?” Dan asked.

“No, I think I just don’t really get it,” Gerard replied, “I’m a vampire and you’re vampire hunters.”

“Think of it like this,” Jeph started to explain, “If you were a human, we wouldn’t kill you for accidentally hurting someone, right? Yes, you might get in some trouble depending on if the person decided to press charges, but you wouldn’t get the death penalty. So why should we do basically that for a vampire? The only ones we kill are the ones who repeatedly hurt or kill people, but since you’ve only accidentally hurt one person we will help you. Get it?”

Gerard shrugged, “I guess. Is it also just because I’m friends with Bert?”

“That’s definitely part of it,” Dan laughed.

“Can I ask some questions about vampirism? Like, I know a lot, but most of it is just theoretical stuff. I wanna know how accurate the stories are, and also what stuff I should avoid.”

“Well if you haven’t already noticed, you obviously won’t die by being in direct sunlight,” Dan started, “You still probably shouldn’t be in it for too long, since it can burn you quicker than humans. Fire is a big no-no, but garlic is totally fine. I honestly have no idea where the garlic thing came from.”

“I’m convinced some ancient vampire was just fucking with humans,” Jeph said with a laugh.

“Are there any other big no-nos?” Gerard asked.

“Honestly? Try not to eat too much human food. It won’t like... kill you, but you probably will get sick if you eat too much.”

“So eating occasionally to not make anyone suspicious or concerned is fine,” Jeph said, “Just don’t eat it all the time.”

“And if you _are_ gonna have to eat,” Dan added, “Stick to meaty things. You’re not an omnivore anymore, you’re a carnivore. While eating plants and shit won’t hurt in small doses, it’s still probably better to stick to meat things if you have to eat human food.”

“Y’see, this is why I could never be a vampire,” Jeph replied, “I love salad too much.”

“Yeah, I think vampirism would kinda put a damper on that whole ‘vegan’ thing,” Dan said, completely deadpan as he poked Jeph’s face.

“Thankfully, I am not a vampire and can eat whatever the fuck I want.”

“Is that all there is to things I should avoid?” Gerard asked.

“You also should avoid Christian symbols and imagery,” Dan replied, “Crosses, bibles, images of Jesus, churches, etcetera etcetera. Demons don’t exactly go well with Christian shit.”

“Wait, he’s a demon? Demons are real?” Bert asked.

“Sorta,” Dan responded, “The way it works isn’t like how Christians think of it. Like, demons aren’t as inherently evil, I guess. They aren’t all just fallen angels, or whatever. Basically, some humans were corrupted, and once they were they wanted to corrupt as many people as possible. They’re honestly more like a virus than anything else, and by now they show themselves completely differently.”

“Are there other types of demons?” Bert asked, now curious about how all of this worked.

Jeph nodded and sat on the ground in front of Bert, replying, “Oh, absolutely. There’s all types of demons, vampires aren’t even the majority, they just take up most of media. But there are other creatures, like succubi and incubi, hellhounds, faeries-“

“Faeries are demons?”

“Yeah, course they are,” Dan replied, sitting next to Jeph, “Again, demons aren’t exactly as you probably picture them. They usually aren’t _good_ , but they aren’t always evil. Sometimes- like with fae- they kinda just do whatever they want, and yes that might include some fucked up shit, but they’re basically just bored.”

“I met a faerie once,” Jeph sighed, “He was an asshole.”

“Care to share the story?” Bert asked hopefully.

“Nope!” Jeph grinned, “If I speak his name again or talk about him for longer than a minute, I have to be his servant for the rest of time. I’m not risking it.”

“Enough about faeries,” Dan agreed, “We should get more into vampire stuff. Wanna know what powers you have?”

Gerard shrugged, “Do I even have powers? I mean, it’s been almost three weeks and I haven’t really showed any signs of abilities.”

“A lot of the time you have to purposely be invoking the ability, so it wouldn’t happen on accident,” Jeph explained, “You just gotta think _really_ hard and then, if all goes well, you should turn into a swarm of bats.”

“He can turn into _bats_?!” Bert asked excitedly.

“Fuck yeah he can,” Dan laughed, “Also rats. I’ve also met some vampires who can do bigger animals too, but it probably would be better to start with small things.”

“Do I have any other abilities?”

“Okay,” Jeph started, “I think you probably have accidentally used one ability, and that happened when you fed on Bert. When vampires are about to feed on the prey, they release a sort of... toxin that confuses and subdues the prey, that way they won’t escape. Sometimes the prey will even become paralyzed briefly while the vampire feeds.”

“Wait, I think that happened to me,” Gerard replied, “I remember getting loopy and then not being able to move right before the vampire turned me.”

“Yeah uhm,” Bert cleared his throat, than continued, “I remember feeling kinda dizzy and out of it, even before the blood loss.”

“Yep, that was the toxin,” Dan nodded, “That’s not really something you can control, though. It just happens if you have your prey cornered.”

“Are there any other powers I have that I can control?”

“Yep!” Jeph grinned, “Not all vampires have the same powers, but usually what we see is invisibility, mind control, animal shapeshifting, super strength, super speed, immortality, and also basically resistance to most forms of harm.”

“Do I age? I always wondered if I would age,” Gerard asked, obviously warming up to the idea of Jeph and Dan helping him. Now he just looked excited to be talking about vampires, even if it was just Jeph explaining how things worked in the real world.

The fact that anything vampire related actually existed in real life still amazed Bert, but he also just wanted to know how things worked.

“Yes, you do technically age, just very slowly,” Dan responded, “Usually it takes at least a hundred years for you to show any signs of aging. Although, you’ll never stop aging, and at a certain point instead of traditional human aging, you start becoming more... monster looking, I guess is the best way to explain it. Basically if you live for thousands of years you start looking like something out of a horror movie.”

Gerard started chewing on his lip, asking, “What if I don’t want to live forever? Seems kinda lonely to me.”

“Technically you can kill yourself then,” Jeph replied, “Whether by actually killing yourself by your own hands or finding a hunter to kill you.”

“I don’t want to live forever,” Gerard said again, slightly more panicked this time, “Will I see everyone I love die? Will everyone I meet just die around me? Time won’t go by like humans, right? So for me one... one human's lifetime will just be... be a tiny speck in my life, right? Fuck, I don’t want this. I- I know I always said I wanted to be a vampire, but I didn’t actually mean it! I don’t want to live forever! I don’t want to be a lonely vampire living a thousand years from now, barely recognizing the world I live in! I- I don’t want this!”

Bert moved closer to Gerard and rested his hand on his arm, saying, “Hey, hey, Gee it’ll be okay. You don’t have to live forever, okay? You heard what Jeph said, you could get a hunter to kill you if you don’t want to live forever. It’ll be okay.”

“But even if I live for a regular lifetime, I still won’t age so like, I won’t be able to do the things most people can do. I’ll be stuck looking like an 18 year old my whole life.”

“Y’know, different haircuts and colors can really change how old people look,” Jeph said, “Like, you can change your appearance even if you don’t age. People will just think you have a really good skin care routine.”

“I guess, it still just sucks,” Gerard sighed and curled up so his head was in Bert’s lap, then continued, “Is there anything else I should know?”

“I think that’s it, at least for now. I want you to keep in contact with me and tell me if you start getting hungry, though. We’ll be finding ways for you to feed until then,” Jeph replied, “Don’t be scared to explore the powers you have, either. Play around with them, figure out what you can and can’t do. Have fun with it.”

“Don’t use your powers for evil,” Dan said, “If I hear about a swarm of rats robbing a bank I know who to look for.”

Bert laughed, “Damn, I literally was just about to ask Gerard to rob a bank for me.”

“No robbing banks!” Gerard said, rolling onto his back and grinning up at Bert, “Also can we go to the library after this? I need to return some books.”

Bert shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

—————

Later, Gerard and Bert were making their way to the library, Gerard seemingly not upset over the whole “immortality thing.” Now he was just talking excitedly about wanting to try out his powers.

“I can’t believe I can turn into rats,” He said, kicking at a rock on the ground, “Imagine all the cool things I could do as a rat.”

“Like eat trash?”

“Like eat trash!”

Gerard grinned and grabbed Bert’s hand excitedly, pulling him into the library and saying, “I wanna try doing it now!”

“In the library?” Bert laughed, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Dude, no one’s ever at the library at this time, it’ll be _fine_.”

“What about librarians?”

Gerard shrugged, “What about them?”

“I think they might notice if there’s a swarm of rats in the library.”

“But I’m impatient!”

Bert laughed and rolled his eyes, saying, “Fine, fine. You can turn into a bunch of rats.”

Gerard just grinned and pulled Bert into a more hidden part of the library, then sat him down in one of the chairs and said, “Jeph just said I have to like, purposely think about doing it right?”

“I think so,” Bert said, “Wouldn’t hurt to just try that.”

Bert watched as Gerard closed his eyes in concentration, than suddenly he fell to the ground and his body separated into different pieces, scattering across the floor. Bert blinked and all the pieces had turned into rats, looking up at him with small, beady eyes.

“Holy shit,” Bert whispered while one of the rats sniffed his foot.

“Uhm, what the fuck,” A voice that Bert didn’t recognize said, followed by them saying, “Did you bring fucking _rats_ into the _library_?”

Bert looked up at the person- who was a tall guy wearing a nametag that said “I’m Justin! Ask me about my favorite book!”- and said, in a surprisingly calm voice, “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“Really? Cause it looks to me like you brought _rats_ indoors! Why? Where did you even get this many rats?”

Suddenly, all the rats started moving closer together, the slowly melding back together until they were back in the form of Gerard, who was grinning sheepishly at Justin. He waved a bit and said, “Hey, Justin. Remember how I kept saying I turned into a vampire? Well uhm, it actually happened this time.”

—————

Gerard and Bert were sitting together on one of the couches at the back of the library, watching as Justin paced repeatedly in front of them. He was mumbling to himself, but Bert couldn’t hear what he was saying, although he did hear “not possible” at one point.

After a while, Bert leaned closer to Gerard and mumbled, “I told you we shouldn’t have done this at the library.”

Justin stopped pacing to point at Bert, saying, “What did you just say?”

“I just said we shouldn’t have done this at the library.”

“It’s just Justin though, I don’t see why it matters,” Gerard replied, poking Bert in the stomach.

“Because look at him,” Bert said, gesturing at Justin, “He’s spiraling.”

“I’m not spiraling! It just- it makes no _sense_! Vampires can’t be real!” Justin sighed and sat on the floor, hiding his face with his hands, “I don’t get it!”

“Should we get Jeph and Dan to explain to him?” Gerard asked, “They were really good at explaining things.”

Justin looked up from his hands, eyeing Gerard as he asked, “Who’s Jeph and Dan?”

“They’re our demon hunter friends!” Bert replied with a grin.

Justin groaned and hid his face again, saying, “Why did I even ask?”

“I’m gonna call Jeph,” Bert said, taking out his phone and calling Jeph.

It didn’t take long for him to answer, and Bert just went straight to the point, saying, “Hey, so Gerard turned into a bunch of rats at the library and one of the librarians kinda saw it, can you come over and try and calm this dude down? He’s totally flipping out.”

“Don’t act like me being freaked out is some sort of flaw!”

Bert heard Jeph sigh on the other end, than say, “Which library? I’ll come over and fix your mess.”

—————

Bert and Gerard watched as Jeph sat with Justin and tried to explain everything, or at least try to calm him down and not tell anyone else. Apparently it isn’t just in stories that you shouldn’t tell people if you or your friend become a supernatural being.

When Jeph finally had calmed him down, he got up and walked back to Bert and Gerard, saying, “Next time maybe _don’t_ experiment with your abilities in a public place? I don’t wanna keep doing this thing. Luckily Justin is gonna be cool about it now, he just got slightly freaked out because you like, destroyed his preconceived views of the world and shit. Apparently dudes who are into science get freaked out if you turn into a bunch of rats in front of his eyes, who would’ve thunk.”

“In my defense,” Gerard started, “He only actually saw me turn back into the human form.”

Jeph rolled his eyes and said, “I don’t think that makes things better. But I am tired and I just want to go home and eat and cuddle, so please don’t do anything else stupid. Keep your weird experiments out of public places.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Bert grinned.

“You guys should go home, too. Also when did I become your dad?”

“Ever since you started letting me sleep on your couch and steal your food,” Bert replied, still grinning at Jeph.

“Why did I let you do that again?”

“Because you _love me_.”

Jeph rolled his eyes, “Whatever. Just, go home, stop causing trouble.”

“We probably should go,” Gerard said, “My mom probably will get worried if we’re out any longer.”

—————

Bert was staying at Gerard’s house, not wanting to go back home. It already had been a few days since he last went back, and he was scared of how they would react to him being gone for so long.

They were lying together in bed, Bert laying with his head on Gerard’s chest. He loved being this close to Gerard, it was comforting. It was always best when Bert woke up still in Gerard’s arms, it made him feel protected, like nothing could hurt him. Maybe now that Gerard had all those vampire powers, no one actually could harm him.

Gerard was petting Bert’s hair, occasionally combing his fingers through it. It pulled on his scalp a bit when he did this, but Bert didn’t mind all that much. He liked the way it felt.

“What’s it like?” Bert asked, talking quietly as if not to disrupt the calm.

“What’s what like?”

“Being a vampire.”

“Oh,” Gerard said, “I don’t really know. I- I feel the same but also... different. Like, I’m still me, but who is _me_? I’m scared I’ll start changing into a monster.”

“Why would you change into a monster?”

“I don’t know,” Gerard sighed, “I can’t believe I’m a demon. Why are you even still friends with me? I almost killed you.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I could’ve though! I was- I was so hungry I didn’t even think! I- I just wanted to eat, it was awful. It was the worst feeling in the world, I don’t want to experience it again.”

“You won’t have to! Jeph won’t let you get to that level of hunger, remember? That’s why he offered to help, so you wouldn’t get that hungry again.”

Gerard rolled so he was propped up on his side, looking down at Bert, and said, “But he can’t control that completely, right? I mean, it could still happen.”

“Well, if it does happen, I will personally go out and catch a rabbit for you to eat.”

Gerard laughs and rolled onto his back again, staring up at the ceiling as he said, “You’re a fuckin dork.”

“You know you love me,” Bert laughed, moving so he was on top of Gerard.

“Y’know? I do love you.”

Bert grinned, “I love you too!”

“Now get off of me, you’re boney and uncomfortable,” Gerard said, shoving Bert to the side.

Bert just curled up next to Gerard, grabbing his arm and resting his head on Gerard’s shoulder, “Goodnight, honey.”

“Goodnight, fucker.”

Bert giggled, but closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It took him a while, but slowly he let himself fall asleep, focused on the sound of Gerard’s breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Justin is just a humble librarian he doesnt deserve to deal w this shit... fuckin rats all around in his library..... god damn
> 
> Also ?? slightly related but i saw The Used twice in one week + met them both times + I’m seeing them again on the 15th and I’m like. dying I love them so much??? they’re so amazing nd sweet and awesome live I died a lot when I saw them hdbdcjcnclk 
> 
> Anyways- as usual feel free to hmu on Twitter (@Allegrcat), Instagram (@artsy_vampire or @quinnmakesart), Tumblr (@bananajeph), and/or Snapchat (artsy_vampire)! I seriously love talkin to y’all it’s so great when I befriend ppl who met me through fics and shit it’s awesome
> 
> Have a nice day!! (also if u want to hear me talk more abt my Used shows feel free to message me abt that on any platforms of social media bc i fuckin love talking abt it)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Won’t you be in danger than? Especially since Jeph isn’t here for backup.”
> 
> “Kid, I think I can handle worse than an out of shape 17 year old who became a vampire three weeks ago.”
> 
> “I’m 18...” Gerard mumbled.
> 
> “Oh, apologies. I think I can handle an out of shape _18_ year old who became a vampire three weeks ago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ghhh sorry this took me so long to update shit has been Bad™ but im back now and i hope yall like the chapter!

It had been a tough few weeks for Gerard, getting used to vampirism was quite difficult. Bert had been amazing, talking to Gerard about all the difficult feelings and helping him process through it all. It was incredible to have a friend who would stick by him even through all of this.

It had been almost a week since Gerard had fed, though, and he was starting to feel the hunger build up again. He knew he needed to tell Jeph or Dan, but he didn’t want Bert involved just in case Gerard lost control again. He trusted Jeph and Dan enough to be able to stop him if he attacked.

Instead of texting Bert, Gerard decided to text Jeph without Bert knowing. Jeph texted back quickly, telling him to meet them outside of the library. Gerard wasn’t sure why he picked that place- especially everything that had happened the previous time Gerard went there- but he figured it would be best to not ask. He was still slightly scared that Dan wanted to kill him, after all.

Gerard left his house, quickly telling his mom that he was going to the library befre heading out. Ever since he had been attacked, he had been nervous walking to the library by himself. He knew it was irrational, that nothing would attack him and turn him into a vampire _again_ , but he still couldn’t help being afraid. There always was this itching feeling that someone as watching him, so he would just walk quickly and try to get to the library without having too much of a panic.

When Gerard got to the library, he saw Jeph standing outside with Justin. They seemed to be in a serious conversation, so Gerard was nervous to approach the two men.

As Gerard was just about to ponder where Dan was, a hand tapped his shoulder, followed by Dan saying, “So, you needed blood, right?”

Gerard turned around to see Dan standing behind him. He was wearing a large coat and a scarf that Gerard was pretty sure he had seen Bert wearing at some point, although it might have just been a different one that looked the same.

“Yeah, I texted Jeph about it,” Gerard replied after a moment, than asked, “Why is he talking to Justin? Also, why did we meet here?”

Dan shrugged, “Jeph just said he needed to talk to Justin about something, but he didn’t say what.”

“Is that really all you know?”

“Dunno what to tell ya, I really don’t know much more than you do.”

Gerard sighed, than turned to continue watchint Jeph speaking to Justin. He was just so intrigued, what had happened that made them want to speak again after the last fiasco?

“You need blood though? I can help you with that,” Dan said, pulling Gerard’s attention away from the two other men.

“Uhm, yeah,” Gerard nodded, “That’s why I’m here.”

“So, Jeph really... doesn’t like this, but he admits that it’s better than you becoming a murderer and possibly getting arrested, so he’s going with it. Granted, he’s not _happy_  about it, but he also gave his blessing that it’s probably the best option, at least for now. Although, he said he wouldn’t be there when it happened, and that I had to do all the chaperoning.”

“Can you just say what I’m gonna have to do?” Gerard asked, getting slightly impatient.

“You ever hunt before?” Dan asked.

“Like... animals?”

“Yup.”

“No, can’t say I have,” Gerard was pretty sure he knew where this was headed, but he didn’t know how much he wanted to kill harmless animals. Yes, he wasn’t a vegetarian or a vegan, but he still didn’t want to kill animals himself!

“Well, today is your lucky day, cause I’m gonna take you hunting,” Dan said with a grin, then gestured to his car and continued, “C’mon, let's go.”

“What about Jeph?” Gerard asked, but still moved closer to the car that Dan was now walking towards.

“I just told you, he doesn’t want to be there to see you kill a bunch of animals,” Dan replied, opening the door to the car and getting inside before adding, “Now come over here, we got some driving to do and I don’t want it getting dark.”

Gerard quickly walked over to the car and got in, still uncomfortable with the situation. It’s not that he didn’t like Dan, he just didn’t completely trust that Dan wouldn’t kill him.

Dan started the car and drove out of the parking lot, apparently done with talking for the moment. Gerard realized that he had no idea where he was taking them, but figured it probably wasn’t best to ask. Dan wasn’t particularly scary, he just was tall and strong and apparently has a history of killing vampires. No big deal.

After they had been driving for a while, Gerard was starting to get restless. He kept readjusting in his seat and staring out the window while shitty rock played on the radio was starting to not be enough entertainment for him.

After shifting once more in his seat, Gerard turned to Dan and asked, “So how long have you known Bert and Jeph?”

“I met Jeph in high school and I met Bert through Jeph. Not sure how they met but I met him about a year ago,” Dan laughed, then added, “One day I came home and he was just laying across my couch. Asked me to grab him a beer from the fridge as if he lived there too.”

Gerard laughed as well, saying, “That definitely sounds like Bert.”

Dan grinned and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song was on the radio, asking, “What about you? How did you meet Bert?”

“Freshman year of high school,” Gerard replied, “He came up to me and said, ‘hey, you look like a freak too! Wanna hang out?’ I thought he was so cool, with his stupid grin and his stupid hair dye. He also was one of the first people who really truly listened to me when I talked about random shit, I think that’s what made me so drawn to him. He was just... nice, y’know? It was unexpected.”

“Yeah, that also sounds like Bert,” Dan smiled, “You really like him, don’t you?”

“Well yeah, he’s my best friend.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Dan laughed.

“Well what else would you mean?” Gerard asked, suddenly confused.

“You have a crush on him! Don’t you?”

“I- I don’t know,” Gerard admitted, “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“Wait really? I thought you two were basically dating.”

“Wait what?” Gerard asked, “I didn’t catch on to that at all.”

“Ah shit, I feel bad now,” Dan started, “I kept referring to you as Bert’s boyfriend. I didn’t realize that his uncomfortable looks were less ‘embarrassed teenager’ and more ‘we’re not dating yet please stop.’”

“Wait he likes me?”

“Ah, fuck, I probably should shut up?” Dan laughed, “But yeah, yeah he definitely does. He calls you pretty constantly, bro. How have you not noticed?”

“I’m uhm- I’m bad at noticing that kind of shit,” Gerard responded.

“Okay well, don’t tell him I told you. I don’t know how happy he would be if he found out I spilled his secret.”

Gerard nodded in agreement, then they both fell into silence for a while. He still had no idea where Dan was taking him, but the further they got from civilization the more freaked out Gerard got.

Just as Gerard was about to ask Dan where they were, he pulled the car over and parked on the side of the road. They were on a back road, surrounded by trees and God knows how far from people they were.

Dan got out of the car, then started rummaging around in the back. He grabbed a bag, then looked up at Gerard and said, “C’mon now, you’re wasting daylight.”

“Shouldn't I do this at night?” Gerard asked as he got out of the car, “I thought sunlight was unhealthy for me.”

“It is, but that’s exactly why we’re out here during the day. If you lose control you won’t be as strong and it’ll be easier to take you down,” Dan closed the car door and added, “Plus we’re in a forest so it won’t even be direct sunlight. You’ll be completely fine.”

Gerard followed Dan deeper into the woods, asking, “Why are we out this far anyway?”

“Firstly, because there’s more wild animals,” Dan started, “Secondly, if you lose control there won’t be any random humans for you to kill; and lastly, do you really want the possibility of a person seeing you fuckin’ munching on a rabbit or something? No! You don’t want that! Hence, us going to an isolated forest.”

“Won’t you be in danger than? Especially since Jeph isn’t here for backup.”

“Kid, I think I can handle worse than an out of shape 17 year old who became a vampire three weeks ago.”

“I’m 18...” Gerard mumbled.

“Oh, apologies. I think I can handle an out of shape _18_ year old who became a vampire three weeks ago.”

Dan stopped walking when they reached a small clearing and said, “Alright, now, go hunt.”

“Uhm, how do I do that?” Gerard asked, shifting on his legs.

“Find an animal, think about how hungry you are, and eat it.”

“But how-“

Dan rolled his eyes, “Listen, I really can’t help you. I’ve never been a vampire and so I can’t say exactly how a vampire would hunt animals. All I can say is that if you find an animal, you’ll probably release the toxin and grabbing the animal won’t be hard. Just go and find something, I’ll wait here.”

Gerard watched as Dan sat on the ground, starting to look through his bag. He figured this meant the conversation was done, so he took off hesitantly into the forest. He felt so clumsy, like there was no way he would he able to actually sneak up on an animal quickly enough to kill it. Everything about this felt so wrong, but he was getting quite hungry and he really didn’t want to hurt Bert again...

Gerard stopped to take a deep breath before beginning to walk deeper into the forest. It didn’t take long for him to find something- a rabbit, he thought- to hunt. Suddenly he felt something shift inside him and as he stared at the animal it completely froze up, letting him approach it without running or fighting back.

It wasn’t a rabbit, but a fox. Gerard was starting to feel that hunger he felt when he fed on Bert, and he didn’t hold back as he began to feed on the animal. He fed until there was no blood left, then he placed the fox back on the ground and continued to hunt.

Gerard wasn’t sure how long had passed, but after he had fed on a few more animals he started hearing someone- probably Dan- calling his name. He followed the voice back until he had reached the clearing where Dan had left him alone. He was standing up now, his bag all packed and hanging off his shoulder, when he smiled at Gerard and said, “You got blood on your face.”

Gerard blushed and tried to scrub it off, but wasn’t sure how successful he was being. Dan just laughed and added, “I have wipes in the car, you can clean yourself up on the drive home.”

After that, he didn’t say anything else, just quietly walked through the forest until they had reached the road. The car was still parked to the side, and Dan continued being quiet as he put his bag in the trunk. Gerard got into the passenger seat and as Dan got in too, starting the car and driving back home.

“So did this work? You good with food for now?” Dan asked, glancing over as Gerard started to wipe the blood off his face and neck. Fuck, he hadn’t realized how messy he was being.

Gerard nodded, replying with, “Yeah, I’m good.”

“That’s good,” Dan turned his attention back to the road, “We’ll do this once a week then.”

The rest of the drive was quiet, and by the time Dan was dropping Gerard off in front of his house it was completely dark outside. He went down into his room, saying a quick hello to Donna as he passed her. The house was relatively quiet, which meant Mikey must be out with friends. He didn’t know how their lives were still so normal when his life was turned upside down.

His mom still thinks he was out with Bert, but she can’t find out where he actually was. He’s pretty sure she would not be pleased to know he spent the whole day out in a forest with a man he barely knew killing small mammals and feasting on their blood. He barely could let himself think about it, it felt so fucking bad.

After so many years of fantasizing about becoming a vampire, reality just slapped him in the face with the biggest “fuck you” ever. He couldn’t believe this was his life, that he would live forever eating rabbits and foxes, that driving deep into the middle of nowhere with Dan would soon become a part of his weekly routine. He didn’t like this, and he almost wished Dan would just kill him already so this wouldn’t have to become commonplace.

He couldn’t even fall asleep peacefully, since his goddamn vampire mind forced him to stay up until the sun started to rise. He didn’t even want to try anymore, since the past few weeks had proven that it would be more trouble than it was worth. He only seemed to be able to get to sleep quickly when he was with Bert, so without thinking it through he texted Bert asking him to come over.

Not even five minutes had passed before Bert replied, saying he was on his way. Gerard couldn’t help grinning at this, then suddenly remembered what Dan had been saying earlier and he felt weird again. Did Bert really like him? Did he like Bert back? He hadn’t thought much about it, and he still didn’t really know how to read those sorts of signals- not to mention he had no idea how to tell romantic and platonic feelings apart in himself.

Gerard laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as he tried to figure out how these feelings worked out. Could he just google it? “How can I tell if my feelings for someone are romantic?” Maybe yahoo answers would have the secret to all of Gerard’s emotional issues.

Gerard’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Bert coming down the stairs, than opening the door and letting himself into Gerard’s room. He was smiling widely and immediately flopped onto Gerard’s bed, saying, “I hadn’t heard from you all day! I was beginning to worry.”

He was saying it with a smile on his face, but Gerard knew he meant it. If Bert did anything well, it was worry immensely over all the little things.

Gerard just smiled back, though, saying, “Sorry about that, I’m good though.”

Bert grinned and moved so he was laying pressed close to Gerard, “‘ts cool. But, you needed a cuddle buddy, right? You said you were having trouble sleeping again.”

“Mhm,” Gerard started, wrapping his arms around Bert, “You are like, melatonin in human form. But like, a 20mg dose of melatonin. Best sleep aid ever.”

Bert laughed and rested his head on Gerard’s chest, saying, “I’m glad to hear it!”

They continued talking for a while, until they both started to fall asleep. As he drifted off, Gerard started to wonder if this really was regular friend behavior or if there _was_  something between him and Bert that wasn’t strictly platonic feelings. Gerard hadn’t had enough friends to know what was “normal” for friends, since Bert was basically his only close friend (other than Mikey, but Gerard was pretty sure sibling friendships were in a completely different category).

As he fell asleep, arms still wrapped around Bert, he decided he would google it the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope yall liked the chapter! as always, feel free to leave comments and kudos ! i love hearing yalls feedback nd shit it fuels me
> 
> Also i got off of tumblr, but you can still find me on instagram (@artsy_vampire), twitter (@Allegrcat), snapchat (artsy_vampire), and also i have a discord now (afriendlyghost#2459)
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how often i'll be updating this, since writing has been rlly hard for me recently (from a mix of depression + adhd) but ill definitely try to update as often as i can!!
> 
> And as usual, feel free to leave comments/kudos and feel free to follow me on tumblr (@bisexualbertmccracken), instagram (@artsy_vampire or @quinnmakesart), twitter (@Allergcat), and/or snapchat (@artsy_vampire)!
> 
> have a nice day!


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